5D Assesssment

The better they see, the better they are able to lead.

In order to provide teachers with targeted, thoughtful professional development and support, leaders need to know what constitutes quality classroom instruction.  To help leaders develop this expertise, CEL has developed an online process for assessing leaders' ability to analyze classroom instruction. The assessment process is simple and can be performed from any location.  It  includes having education leaders watch a segment of a videotaped lesson on their computer and then having them respond to a series of questions about what they have observed. Their responses are evaluated by specially-trained instructional leaders, who use a rubric that was developed by researchers at the University of Washington in collaboration with CEL project directors.

The rubric identifies 5 Dimensions and 13 Sub-Dimensions of Teaching and Learning.  CEL provides a comprehensive, in-depth report assessing leaders’ skills within each Dimension and Sub-Dimension and identifies strengths and target areas for future professional development.  Pictured to the left is an example of one of the charts from this detailed report.



The assessment may be used for a variety of purposes:

• To screen applicants for instructional leadership roles;
• To identify strengths and needs across a leadership team to guide the planning of targeted professional development;
• To gauge learning within an organization over time by establishing baseline information and then conducting periodic additional assessments of leadership expertise.

CEL’s 5D assessment and 5D framework for professional development are drawn from research on what constitutes good teaching.  The Research base for 5D includes, but is not limited to:

• Wiggins and McTighe:  Understanding by Design
• Newman, King & Carmichael:  Authentic Intellectual Engagement
• Resnick & Zurawsky:  Accountable Talk
• Danielson & Bizar:  Enhancing Professional Practice
• Marzano, Pickering & Pollock:  Classroom Instruction That Works
• Stiggins:  Assessment for Learning
• Bransford, Brown & Cocking:  Developing Expertise

In addition to the assessment, CEL provides on-site, customized professional development based on the 5 Dimensions and 13 Sub-Dimensions to further develop instructional leadership.  To learn more about this professional development, click here.

Contact us for a no-cost consultation of how the 5D assessment can support the improvement of teaching and learning in your district.